Author - Chris Cloclough G1VDP

Well not posted much since the 3Y0J lads left. Never made contact with them  as they had to scale back due to the weather, which was something out of their hands. This is not the disappointment.

What is is the amount of people commenting, criticising, and when they were on air causing interference to their transmissions. It has made me think as to whether I want to stay in the hobby I love and have been a part of for over 36 years. Ignorant morons that expect to make the contact. Probably never been on any sort of expedition. And what we call armchair DXers. Yes this activation has really caused me to think about the hobby. They are all part of the “me, me, me” generation who feel they are entitled to it and do not want to work for the contact. 

And on top of that my mast falling over a week or so ago causing damage to my neighbours extension roof, luckily I only had it low as hadn’t fully set up all the guys, tipped me. I still have some kit but as I sit here I really am thinking “f**k it, sell the lot and walk away”. Maybe knitting is the way to go, or just go back to fishing and building model kits as I did when I was young.

After a sea journey of almost 2 weeks the 3Y0J team are almost at their destination – Bouvetoya Island. They have sent messages back to their pilot in the USA expecting to be starting to get on land Monday 30th January 2023. This will be a 2 day process to get all the kit on the island and set up. They hope to be on the air for 2 weeks so we all will have a chance of working them on one mode or more. They are hoping to work unique calls, so stations with just one contact, to give little pistols a chance of getting a new one in the log – this is the category I class myself as being as I only have 100 watts and a wire at the minute. 

I have been tracking their progress, as I will all through the expedition until they arrive back in South Africa, and the image shows their position at the time of writing. They did lose the GPS facility for a couple of days, and that is why there are no tracking showing for these 2 days.

Safe sailing, landing and may the weather hold out for them. And good luck to you all trying to make contact with them. I personally am looking forward to the DVD coming out of the trip as a memento of this expedition.

What a fun filled couple of days it was in London. The Journey down by train was very comfortable and stress free, I sat down read a couple of chapters in my book, looked up and we were in London. The train was so smooth, image to left is the train arriving at Nuneaton (my home station). I met Charles (M0OXO) at London Euston where we got a taxi to our hotel.

Following check in, we met Nobby (G0VJG) in the hotel lounge where Cezar (VE3LYC), Adrian (KO8SCA) and Axel (DL6KVA) joined us before we went on to a local pub for lunch and a couple of drinks. Back to the hotel to shower and change for the dinner that evening.

As it was only a short walk to the restaurant we set off in a group chatting with old friends and meeting new ones, some who I had met on the air before and some of the CDXC members I have known for years. Chat soon turned to the expedition and the pile ups to come. Plenty of drinks and chat over the meal was followed by photographs and more chat, with stories of previous expeditions and experiences. A most enjoyable evening – even though it rained very heavy as we left and walked back to the hotel.

The following morning after breakfast we again met in the hotel lounge to say our farewells with the team going to Bouvetoya (3Y0) and wished them a safe journey. Myself, Charles, Dave (EI9FBB) and Jeremy (EI5GM) jumped on the underground and went for a walk around Oxford and Regent Street in London before we stopped at Eros in Piccadilly Circus for 30 minutes of people watching. Dave & Jeremy then went for a meal before their flight back to Eire, and Charles & I went to our relevant rail stations on the “tube”.

A most excellent few days indeed. More photo’s can be seen on John’s (G4IRN) page at this link. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMpAariAQbiLzYiCmu4X6R9VP7P-S836dPD0JXy4MM5vHocCMf1UMP6dfnYfjQ9KA?key=dUY2TzdvSUxveEtoTzN6OXp6MTFQbkgtc0NWSUNR

Today we are going down to the UK’s capital city, London, to meet with the 3Y0J team and a few other radio amateurs for a meal and to wish the Bouvet team a safe journey. 

As the team are having to Transit through the UK on their way to the Falkland Islands on their way to Bouvet they offered a limited number of DXers the chance to meet up with them. And it also gives us chance to meet up with old and new friends for a quiet beer or two. I myself will be travelling from my home in Nuneaton by train, and meeting up with them at the hotel in London. Then later this evening we will be off for the meal in a local restaurant. Images and updates will be uploaded tomorrow when I get home.

The image above shows the first four 3Y0J operators to have arrived in London. (L-R) Pete N0FW, Cezar VE3LYC, Otis NP4G, Adrian KO8SCA.

And that’s me calling the shack done at the operating position. Just got the certificates and other images to get on the walls when I have enough frames for them. 

All software is working and IOTA/LOTW updates done for the 2023 honour rolls. Here’s to working the new ones this year.

After 2 months I have finally managed to get my desk and shack back up and running. I still need to get some antennas, or at least one, up in the air but this is planned for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully before Bouvet (3Y0J Expedition) starts and Crozet (FT8WW) ends. Both would be New countries for me and would make it 321 in total worked/confirmed in the current DXCC listings – 325 all time. 

Tee new shack comprises 3 screens which could yet be reconfigured as I am not 100% with how I have it set up as yet, or should I say connected to the computer and laptop. But this will be for another day to do.

Sadly I am off air and off line for a little while. A house move has forced me to close down, but hopefully next week I will be back on the internet and happily posting news and updates on here. I also need to get my finger out and gallery sorted so that I can get some of my photographs online and share my other passion.

Back soon.

This weekend (29 October to 30 October 2022) sees the CQWW DX SSB contest take place on the HF Bands 160M through to 10M, and this is the busiest and biggest of the year for SSB contacts. It is an opportunity for a modest station to make contact with some of the rarer DX entities as it draws out expeditions and some pf the locals who wouldn’t normally get on the air. It is also a fun contest to choose your strongest band and enter a lesser category to get the winners certificate, if you choose wisely. 

Here is a list of some of the announced expeditions for this years contest:

https://www.ng3k.com/Misc/cqs2022.html?fbclid=IwAR1krY8cz8UeHWeIvsURm7j66Lodq6bdBVqrBdlNKdpEqVHZywi6LKyTbo4

The following has been taken from my friend Tim (M0URX) website. Looks like himself and Charles (M0OXO) had a very busy day sorting and getting these out to the UK post office, hopefully they will be with the world bureau’s soon.

QSL cards have been posted to 82 World Bureaus – Monday 24^th October 2022